Neurological Sciences Academic Development Award at Washington University School

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary: This application is the renewal of the Neuro Sciences Academic Development Award (NSADA) that has supported 10 trainees in pediatric neurology at Washington University over the past decade. The new application reflects the growth and changes in pediatric neurology over the past fifteen years and includes mentors with research and clinical expertise in academic areas that have direct impact on modern pediatric neurology: developmental neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, neurogenetics, nervous system injury, and epilepsy. The proposed mentors come from within the Department of Neurology, as well as the Departments of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Biology, Genetics, Psychology, Psychiatry, Developmental Biology, Pediatrics, Neurosurgery, Medicine, and Radiology. This new application also highlights the enormous growth of resources for basic/translational/clinical neuroscience research at Washington University (an already enriched environment) over the past five years. These resources will be readily accessible to NSADA scholars. The program will be specifically tailored for the three trainees and depend heavily upon their prior research experience and career preferences. Trainees who enter the program with extensive research experience will be encouraged to replenish their fund of knowledge and then embark upon new research with the guidance of the Director and the Advisory Committee. Less experienced trainees may spend up to a year in formal coursework in the Neuroscience Program of the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences of Washington University. In either case, trainees will be able to draw upon the resources of 29 faculty committed to this application and a wider neuroscience community composed of more than 150 faculty engaged in active research. While trainees will be expected to receive most of their supervision from their specific mentors, there is enormous interaction between senior members and their respective laboratories so trainees will have abundant opportunities for contact with experienced researchers. Graduates of NSADA training should be competitive for independent funding after completion of three years. Public Health Relevance: One of the central missions of the Washington University Pediatric Neurology Residency Program is to train outstanding physician-scientists who will perform the groundbreaking research that will transform our ability to care for our pediatric patients with neurological disorders. This NSADA provides a fundamental mechanism for our ability to carry out this critical mission.